Orphanage
by Evening Lilacs
Summary: Atemu and Anzu get trapped in a blizzard and have to stay at the local orphanage the whole time denying their growing feelings for each other. Can love and a few mischievous youngsters bring them together?
1. Blizzard

**Disclaimer**: Maybe you've got it figured it out by now that I don't own Yugioh.

* * *

"Anzu! Anzu, where are you?" ANZU!" 

Atemu tried to scream through the sudden blizzard, but found he had no voice left. The snow blinded him as he groped about, desperately trying to find Anzu. His right hand hit something. It was thin and cold, metal... a railing? He gripped it, his left hand searching through the ooze of white in front of him. "ANZU!"

"Atemu!" Her voice was small, a little off to his left. He flailed his arm out until their hands met and pulled her close to him.

"Are you all right?" he asked in her ear, voice husky from yelling.

"Yes! Do you have any idea where we are?"

He coughed. "Certainly not the drug store!" They had been sent to the store for milk by Sogoroku.

"Are we on a doorstep?"

He felt around him. Steps. One... two... three... flat surface... door.

"Yes!"

"Knock on the door! If the people are nice they'll let us in!"

Atemu nodded, rapping on the door. A minute later a woman, mid-thirties by the looks of it, with soft olive eyes and chestnut hair, opened the door.

"My Kami! Come in, come in! What were you doing out there?" she exclaimed as the two managed to get inside the house, Atemu supporting an exhausted Anzu.

Atemu was unable to speak for coughing, so Anzu answered the woman's question. "His grandfather sent us out for milk, and then the blizzard just came out of nowhere."

"Well, you can't go back out in this weather. The two of you can stay here until the storm stops, we've plenty of room."

"Oh, thank you! Um... where exactly is 'here?'"

"Takanaka Orphanage, founded in 1865 by Sir Takanaka of Domino, Japan. Come on. You can stay in the dorms, since there're plenty of extra beds."

"Thank you," Atemu whispered, rubbing his throat with a shaking hand.

"Are you all right, um... we haven't introduced ourselves."

"Atemu. Atemu Mutou. And this is Anzu Mazaki."

"I'm Fran. And are you all right, Atemu? If your skin was pale, your lips would be blue. Are you from around here?" Fran asked, leading the two up a wooden staircase.

"It's just a cold. And I'm from Egypt."

"Cool! You know, I've got a cousin who's an Egyptologist. Know much about the ancient Egyptian culture?" she inquired. Stopping at a linen closet, she handed Atemu a pair of blue pajamas and Anzu a pair of pink ones.

"Quite a bit," he answered, and Anzu laughed.

"Okay, you two come with me to call your guardians, to let them know you're not dead and all that."

When they had contacted Sogoroku Mutou and Mrs. Mazaki, Fran led them up a second set of stairs, coming to a door with a sign reading 'Teen Boys.' Fran knocked on the door.

"Boys, can I come in?"

"Yup!" came a chorus of voices from inside the room.

"Guys, this is Atemu Mutou and Anzu Mazaki. They'll be spending the night with us, until this blizzard passes. They got caught in it." She shivered at the thought.

"Sure," a few of them replied, and Fran showed Atemu to a bed in the corner of the medium-sized room. "Okay, this is your bed for the night. The guys can show you around, the bathroom and whatnot. Goodnight, boys!"

"Goodnight, Fran!" they echoed as Fran shut the door, rolling her eyes.

"A bunch of jokers, all of them. Now to the teen girls' dorm, this way. There's only three of them, so it's the attic room. They get the warmest, they love it. Fourth floor all to themselves." They walked down the long hall and began to ascend a set of many, many steps.

"That friend of yours, Atemu, how old is he?"

"We're both seventeen."

"Bit of a husky voice for a seventeen-year-old, hasn't he?"

"I guess. But it makes up for his height."

Fran smiled. "He's mighty cute though. Is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No!" Anzu exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Oh. I just thought he might be, the way he was holding you when you came in and all that."

Anzu's blush deepened as she thought of how strong his arms had been around her waist. "No, he's just a friend."

"Uh-_huh_. Well, here we are." They had arrived at a wooden door at the top of the steps, and Fran knocked on it.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure!"

Fran gave the girls the same introduction speech she'd given the boys, and left.

Back in the 'Teen Boys' room, Atemu was being given the brief of the entire dorm by the ten boys that lived there.

"And so that's the bathroom, and the showers are that way-"

"And now we're back to the dorm!"

"Thanks," Atemu said, sitting on his bed in the blue pajamas, having changed as they passed the bathroom. He set his neatly folded jeans, shirt, and coat on the floor beside the bed.

"Okay, so now you know the dorm, and all that's left is to introduce you to all of us. This is Aiko and Kaemon, Maro, Masakazu, Hoshi, Goro, Akira, Haru, Jiro, and I'm Keiji," said a tall boy with moon-pale skin and black hair.

"Are you seriously Atemu Mutou?"

"What else would he be? An impersonator? A stalker? Do you think he's just gonna go and stalk the King of Games, to try and find out his EXACT hairstyle? No, that IS the King of games."

"I'm glad I don't come off as a stalker. That's always good to know."

"You bet it is."

Atemu smiled. "Thanks for showing me around."

"No problem. It's our existence." They all laughed.

"So you met Fran?"

Atemu nodded, coughing. "She's nice."

"Oh yeah. But watch out for Etsu. She's really mean."

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Boys, lights out!" a cranky voice called from the door. Maro made a face and flipped the light switch on the wall, calling, "Okay, Etsu!" He slipped into bed, as did the other boys, and one by one they fell asleep.

Atemu couldn't sleep. He coughed into his pillow, rubbing his chest with an icy hand. "Ow..." he muttered, cursing colds and everything about them. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Keiji, the tall boy who'd introduced everyone earlier. He seemed to be like a dorm leader of sorts; everyone followed what he said and did.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Atemu asked.

"No. I've been up. You don't need to try to cough quietly, you know. Everything here is shared."

Atemu quirked an eyebrow, giving the boy, who was about the same age as he, a quizzical look.

"Listen, you'll find stuff here that you won't find much of elsewhere. Here in this dorm, everything is shared. Your joy is ours, your problems are ours. People don't live in vacuums, you know, so there's no reason to act like it."

"But I don't want to wake anyone."

"You won't. Just don't try to stay quiet. We don't care, and that's gotta hurt your chest after a while. Just cough."

"I don't want to wake-"

But Keiji interrupted him. "Sorry dude, but this is for your own good." He slapped Atemu hard on the back, and the Egyptian couldn't stop the huge wave of hacking that came over him. When he was finally able to stop, he looked up to Keiji.

"Better?"

Atemu nodded, coughing again. Keiji's eyebrows knitted together.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yes," Atemu choked out between coughs. Keiji looked doubtful.

"You don't look okay."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not." He pressed a hand to Atemu's forehead. "Have you felt your forehead lately?"

"I don't generally feel my forehead. It doesn't work if you do it to yourself."

"Well, you're burning up. Hold on." He walked over to one of the beds, shaking the shoulders of the boy who lay in it.

"Masakazu."

"Hmm? Keiji? What is it?"

"You're the science genius. Get over here." He led Masakazu over to Atemu's bed. "Is he sick?"

"Well, what do you think he has?"

"I dunno. Bad cold, cough, flu... something like that. But if we can, we should try to get him better by morning. You know how Etsu treats people when they're sick."

"Do I ever. Well, let's see. First check for fever, feel his chest and see if his breathing crackles, um... yeah, do that first."

"You. I don't know this stuff like you do."

"Okay then." He knelt next to Atemu. "Okay, sit up." Atemu obeyed him, too tired to argue.

Masakazu put a hand to Atemu's forehead, as Keiji had. "Oh yeah. That's a fever." He put a hand on Atemu's back. "Breathe deeply." Atemu tried, but ended up coughing.

Masakazu sat next to Atemu, putting a hand over his chest as Atemu continued to try to breathe deeply.

"It feels like you're really sick, but I can't tell what with. I'd really have to feel just your chest. Do you mind?" he asked.

Atemu shook his head, undoing a few of the buttons of his pajama top. He coughed and turned away slightly from Masakazu, who looked to be about fourteen, short and rather skinny with a relatively light voice. Masakazu placed his hand on Atemu's chest for a brief minute.

"Whoa. Yeah, I don't think that's just a cold. If it is, it's a really bad one. Have you been feeling dizzy or nauseous or anything like that?"

Atemu nodded, closing his eyes in nausea as if on cue.

Keiji spoke up, "We've gotta get him better. If Etsu gets her hands on him..."

"What does Etsu do?" Atemu asked weakly, not really wanting to know the answer.

"She says that kids have no right getting sick 'when they're so young and strong,' and makes you do a ton of work. Once Jiro had a flu so bad he couldn't even walk, and Etsu made him do double chores for being slower than usual."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Nope. Keiji, get the thermometer from the bathroom cabinet and Haru's flashlight." Keiji did so, returning a few minutes later. Masakazu flipped on the light, sticking the thermometer under Atemu's tongue. He waited for a few minutes, watching a glow-in-the-dark alarm clock by another boy's bed, then reached over and removed the instrument from the teen Game King's mouth.

"Holy cow." He turned to Atemu. "You're between a hundred and a hundred and fifty pounds, right?" Atemu nodded. "Keiji, get two of those fever tablets from the bathroom, and a little paper cup of water. No, two."

Keiji again did as he was told, and again returned shortly. "Here."

Masakazu handed one of the cups of water and the two medicine tablets to Atemu.

"Swallow them with the water, then finish the cup, and the other one. It'll help your fever." Atemu followed the boy's instructions, downing the pills and water. He groaned as his stomach disagreed painfully with its uninvited guests, and his head spun.

"Keiji, get another two cups of water. We need to get that fever down. Otherwise he'll really be in for it tomorrow, once Etsu comes in to wake us up. Judging by the way that snow's falling, he and Anzu won't be out of here by tomorrow, or the next day probably, because the plows always do this side of the city last." Keiji nodded, getting the water.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to drink it all."

"Thanks so much for your help."

"No problem. It's how we do things. Your problems are my problems."

"And vice versa," Atemu added, coughing. Masakazu smiled, thumping the shorter boy's back.

"How old are you, exactly?"

"Seventeen. I don't look it, I know."

"Yes you do. Proportionally, not comparatively. And you definitely sound it."

"You really are a science genius, aren't you?"

"That's what I'm typecast as by everyone here. But really, they're only joking. We're tighter than that."

Atemu smiled. "It's like being typecast as just a Game King, and nothing else."

"I'd imagine that would be even harder."

"It depends, really. Like with you, people are amazed by any talent that sticks out. To me, it's not extraordinary at all, and I'm sure it's the same way with you. It's natural."

Masakazu nodded. "Definitely- Oh, here's Keiji. Drink up," he said, handing Atemu one of the paper cups.

Atemu smiled wryly, downing the water in five gulps. Then coughed. And coughed. And coughed. He couldn't stop. Footsteps could be heard in the hall outside the dormitory.

"Shit," Masakazu cussed, rushing back to his bed on the other side of the room. Keiji quickly hid the water cups and thermometer and jumped into his bed, which was next to Atemu's.

"Just pretend you woke up and happened to be coughing," he whispered to Atemu as the dorm door opened and a stout woman with a head full of white hair entered.

"Who's that?" she demanded.

"Sorry ma'am," Atemu apologized, cheeks flushed in fear. "I woke up and had to cough. It won't happen again."

She eyed him suspiciously. "All right. It's just your first offense;, so I'll let you go. By the way, you won't get out of here tomorrow, so you'll follow the routine of all the other children here. Meet me in the hall outside tomorrow, so I can find you a uniform of the right size."

Atemu nodded, coughing again.

"No more of that coughing. Goodnight." She left, and when they were sure she couldn't hear them, Masakazu and Keiji came back out.

"That was too close for comfort," Masakazu commented. Keiji nodded vigorously.

"Be careful."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't control it."

"That's okay. Here, finish your water."

Atemu did so. Suddenly he gasped, clutching his chest.

"Uh oh. Don't cough now. She'll hear it, and we'll all be dead."

Atemu clapped a hand over his mouth and pinched his nose, trying desperately not to cough. Keiji grabbed the pillow off his bed and set it on top of Atemu's, then pushed Atemu's face into them. Just in time, too. Atemu hacked for nearly two minutes until it finally ceased. His face was red as he sat back up, his head spinning from lack of air.

"Well, I think we've got a clear diagnosis by now."

"That didn't help."

"Just saying..."

"I know. But he needs to not make any noise. We can't get caught. Etsu sleeps too light."

Masakazu nodded. "Actually, our best bet might be for him to sleep. He might wheeze in his sleep from a stuffed nose, but Etsu couldn't hear that from her room. Atemu, can you try to fall asleep?"

The past Pharaoh nodded, handing Keiji his pillow back. Keiji flipped it over and got back into bed, as did Masakazu.

* * *

Next Morning: 

Anzu woke bright and early, long before Fran came in to wake the teen girls. Hitomi, Kaede and Akako groaned as the young woman woke them up.

"All right girls! Be dressed in fifteen minutes and then down to breakfast!"

"Okay Fran."

"Sure, Fran."

"Yup!"

"Anzu, come with me. You'll be here for a few days by the looks of it, and you need a uniform. You and Atemu will follow the orphanage schedule."

"Okay," Anzu said, slipping her feet into a pair of pink slippers borrowed from Kaede and following Fran out the attic door.

"Did you see how much snow we got dumped with?" Fran asked excitedly. "I love snow. I'm like a kid when it comes to snow. I go sledding with all the little ones, and have snowball fights, and all that. Live while you can, I say!"

Anzu smiled. "Definitely."

"So your friend is the King of Games? Seriously? I thought the name was a coincidence."

"Nope. That's Atemu Mutou, in the flesh."

"Wow. Lucky girl you are."

"But it doesn't change our relationship any. I knew him before he became the Game King."

"That's good. It must make for a really strong friendship, eh?"

"Oh yes," Anzu replied. They entered a small room, two beds pushed in two corners and desks in the two others. Etsu and Atemu were already in there, Etsu taking Atemu's measurements for a uniform.

"Hello, Anzu."

"Hey."

"Okay, come this way," Fran instructed Anzu. They entered a second small room off to the side of the first, closet doors along all the walls. Fran grabbed a black pleated skirt from one and a white blouse from another, absentmindedly asking, "What shoe size are you?"

"Eight."

"Here," she said, handing the clothes and shoes to Anzu, along with a pair of black tights. "Try these on." She turned away while Anzu tried the clothes on.

"How do they fit?"

"The shoes, tights and skirt are fine, but the shirt is really big."

Fran turned back around. "You're too skinny for your own good, d'you know that? Here." She handed Anzu a smaller, identical white blouse, and Anzu tried it on.

"It fits."

"Okay, good. So I'll take this shirt, and you go put your pajamas upstairs. Then come down to the dining hall."

"Okay," she agreed, gathering her pajamas and slippers and leaving for the attic. Atemu exited the other room at the same time.

"Anzu... you look nice." His cheeks reddened and he coughed hoarsely, turning away from her. His attire was much like Anzu's, black pants and a white shirt with black shoes.

"Are you okay?"

"No, not really. But don't let Etsu figure that out."

"What's wrong?"

"I was up coughing all night with a fever that two of the other boys helped me get down, so Etsu won't notice, but my chest still hurts a lot."

"Ouch."

"Literally." They had made their way to the door to the 'Teen Boys' room.

"Will you wait for me?" Anzu asked.

"Sure," he replied, disappearing into the dorm. A few minutes later, Anzu descended the attic stairs, coming to stand next to Atemu, who was waiting for her.

"Do you know where the dining hall is?" Anzu asked.

"The first floor. Etsu told me." He held her hand as they walked down to the first floor. Anzu's cheeks burned, though he didn't notice it.

"Atemu! Anzu!" They turned to see Etsu walking briskly towards them.

"Yes, Etsu?" Atemu asked. Anzu gripped his hand tighter out of fear.

"Do be aware that that is not allowed," she snapped. They each looked down at themselves, trying to find something wrong with themselves that Etsu could possibly find offensive. Atemu checked himself over. _Shirt tucked in, pants not low, shoes tied..._ Anzu did the same thing. _Skirt not flipped up, hair neat, tights without runs, blouse tucked in..._ Each looked back up at her in confusion.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" Anzu asked politely, though inside she was shaking in fear of this strange woman. Atemu calmed her by sliding a few of his fingers lightly over hers.

"That! What you're doing! Your hands! Any obvious flirting, relationships, and hand-holding are not allowed!"

They looked down at their subconsciously intertwined fingers and pulled away from each other quickly, each blushing furiously.

"You may be some sort of couple outside these walls, but here that is strictly prohibited. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," they muttered as one.

"Good. Now go to breakfast," she ordered. They obeyed without a second thought, instinctively reaching for each other's hands. Atemu looked down and whispered, "We can't do that."

"Huh? Oh! I didn't even realize-"

"Just try to stay on her good side. Her bad side is pretty nasty."

"You know?"

He shivered. "Yes, unfortunately."

"Are you cold?" She thought it was really rather cozy inside.

"Yes." He rubbed his arms with icy hands, only causing him to shiver more as they entered the dining hall and stepped into the line for the morning's meal, oatmeal.

"Atemu!" Atemu turned to see Keiji running toward him, joining him and Anzu. "You're Anzu Mazaki, correct?"

"Yup. Pleased to meet you..."

"Keiji." He stuck out a hand, Anzu shaking it. "Hi." He turned to Atemu. "Are you feeling better?"

"Truthfully?"

"Of course."

"A little, but eating..."

"Try to eat. Etsu will notice if you don't. Don't ask me how."

Atemu nodded, sneezing.

"Oh no. Try not to. Etsu will give a kid detention after daily class if they sneeze, because they're 'spreading germs where they're not needed.'"

Atemu gulped, sniffling hard and fighting a strong urge to sneeze again. Keiji slipped him a tissue.

"Here. It helps to always keep them on you, so Etsu can never find you out."

"Thanks," Atemu said stuffily.

"No problem." The three came to the head of the line, taking bowls of steaming oatmeal from the women running the line.

"Come on. We teenagers get the circular table." He led them to said circular table, and the three took seats next to each other. Masakazu soon joined them.

"Hey Keiji. Hey Atemu. Hey... Anzu? Sorry, I'm not good with names."

Anzu smiled and nodded as Keiji commented, "Yeah, science is more his thing."

Masakazu rolled his eyes. "So, is Anzu your girlfriend?"

Atemu choked on a bite of oatmeal, cursing his cheeks for reddening. "No! Why do you ask?"

"You had your arm around her waist in the lunch line, and neither of you seemed to notice it. By the way, that's not allowed, so watch out."

Anzu and Atemu looked at each other, Anzu's cheeks mirroring Atemu's deep scarlet flush. Both Keiji and Masakazu smirked, and Masakazu quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" Atemu asked, the heat in his face dying down.

"Nothing. I'll tell you later. Maybe."

Atemu just sent him a puzzled look, attempting to swallow his oatmeal but choking, chest shaking with coughs. Keiji swore under his breath, looking from side to side to make sure no one except for them had seen. He knocked Atemu's spoon to the floor, nudging the shorter teen and whispering, "Get your spoon." Atemu took the hint and dove under the table, not coming back up until he was through coughing.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Don't mention it. But hurry and eat. There's not much time left. Classes start in five minutes."

"Ugh. I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat," warned Masakazu, "and drink plenty of water."

Atemu groaned, but followed the younger's instructions. In a few minutes the children were dismissed to separate classrooms depending on age.

After lessons, which proved to be simple for Atemu and only slightly challenging for Anzu, Fran burst into the teen classroom.

"Classes are over! Who wants to go sledding?" Etsu looked deeply disturbed as the entire class whooped in joy and followed Fran and the rest of the children outside.

"Fran?" Atemu asked, catching up with her.

"What is it, hun?"

"Is there a way not to sled and not have Etsu notice?"

"You still feeling crummy?"

"Yes."

"Just stand off to the side and mingle with the crowd, and if she comes out she won't notice. Here." She handed him a black coat and a black pair of gloves, and gave Anzu a more feminine version of the same thing.

"Your coats are still wet from getting caught in that blizzard yesterday, I'm sure, and these are our uniform coats."

"Thanks," Anzu said lightly and Atemu huskily, each shrugging into their coat and gloves.

"You sound horrible."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, just don't get caught by Etsu. She means well, but sometimes she can be ... _excessively strict_.

Atemu sneezed again, shivering. Anzu nearly hugged him, but stopped herself just in time. He seemed to notice this as well, and blushed bright ruby.

"Well, come on. Everyone else is outside." She led them to a huge hill in back of the orphanage, where the children and teens sledded tirelessly. Atemu felt exhausted just watching it.

"Ugh..." he muttered under his breath.

"Come on!" someone called to Fran, a small boy of about four years old.

"All right! Let's go!"

Atemu found a place to sit against the wall of the building as Anzu rushed off to sled with Akako, Hitomi and Kaede. Something flared within him as he watched her and Hitomi speed down the hill. A smile played about his lips, he seeing her hair whip up behind her in deep chocolate tresses, bright royal eyes dancing with the wind. She and Hitomi crashed at the bottom and she spun around to get back up, snow glittering in her hair and all over her body as the three girls climbed back up the hill. She had such a pretty figure...

Atemu shook his head. "No. No. I can't. I _don't_."

"Don't what?"

"Have romantic feelings for Anzu. _I don't!_" he answered the voice firmly. He realized what he'd done, and whipped around to see the speaker.

It was Anzu.


	2. Deny it All You Want

**Disclaimer**: Y'all might have it figgered out by now that Yugioh isn't mine, and never will be.

* * *

"A-Anzu, I..." 

Atemu stuttered as she looked straight into his eyes, her round, beautiful, true blue orbs stabbing straight into his, causing them to bleed dark crimson. His voice didn't seem to want to cooperate with him. It was gross and raspy from coughing, and his head hurt like someone had hit it with a brick.

So many thoughts raced through his mind. _Oh no. How am I going to get out of this? Did I offend her? Ra, this is embarrassing! My cheeks are flushed. Why are my cheeks flushed? Right baka I look like! She's staring at me with... with those eyes... those wonderful, terrible eyes that penetrate straight to my soul... huge, blue eyes... framed by warmest chocolate bangs and pink cheeks and lips... she has perfect lips... and a perfect mind... and a perfect body..._

"Gah!" Atemu gasped out, shaking his head.

"Atemu? What's wrong? What did you say about me?"

"I... Anzu, I need to be alone." He left back for the teen boys' room, racing up the steps and wrenching the door open. He smalled it shut and collapsed on his bed, silent tears flowing in waves to soak his pillow.

"Hey, what _happened_?"

Atemu looked for the source of the voice, Keiji.

"Keiji?"

"What happened?" he repeated, sitting across from Atemu on his bed.

"N-Nothing. I'm just... confused... about something."

"About what?"

"Nothing... it's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it makes you cry. Seriously, what is it? I saw you and Anzu talking, and then you said just something dismissive and left, and I followed you.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't want to feel better?"

"No. I just don't want to talk about it."

"But talking will make you feel better. The only one you're hurting by keeping it in is yourself."

"Don't make me. Please don't make me."

"Too bad. I'm going to. We forced four glasses of water into you last night, and five recently today. You're lying down. And I'm a killer tickler. If you're not ticklish, I know how to make people sneeze. Hard."

It took Atemu a minute to figure that one out. When suddenly a look of both comprehension and helplessness crossed his face, Keiji smirked.

"What'll it be? Talk, or... a bit of embarrassing explaining?"

"That's not fair."

"I know."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Fine. I promise I'll talk, but... can I use the bathroom first?"

"Can I hold you to talking on your honor?"

Atemu nodded.

"Go, then. I trust your word."

Atemu left for the bathroom, returning a short minute later.

"All right, talk to me. Why are you having an emotional breakdown?"

"What? I'm not having-"

"Yes, you are. I'm older than you. Listen. Have you seen your reflection? You look horrible. What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't know why I couldn't have glazed over it. I don't know why it affected me the way it did. I don't even know why I'm crying."

"You're probably crying from a mix of exhaustion, not feeling well, confusion, and built-up emotion, and whatever just happened probably pulled the trigger."

Atemu just looked at him, bewildered.

"Masakazu's skills are in science. Kaede's are in writing. Jiro's are in athletics. Mine are with people. I promise you, you'll feel better if you just talk about it. I'm not going to bite your head off or anything."

"Okay. You know how we were sledding, and Hitomi and Anzu went down together?"

"Yes?"

Atemu bit his lip. "Well, I was watching them -Anzu specifically- and... I don't know. She was smiling, and... I... It looked beautiful to me, and... then I started thinking about her face, eyes, hair, smile... and from there..."

"Go on."

"Do you promise you won't tell?"

"Masakazu only. He can help."

"How?"

"He knows the whole science side to all of this, and it's actually rather comforting to hear it for some reason. But keep going."

"Well... I-I thought about her... her lips... and I imagined myself being... enveloped by them... and by her... and then..." He trailed off, not wanting to discuss the next part.

"Can I take a wild guess as to what you don't want to say?"

He nodded.

"Her body."

Atemu's face became flushed a glowing scarlet. "Yes," he mumbled.

"All right. Then what happened?"

"Then I... I realized what I was thinking, and for some reason I wanted to shout out, to punch something, or rip something to shreds... I don't know why."

"What did you say? I saw Anzu walk over to you, and you said something, then she asked something, and you answered, but then you turned around and you looked scared, you stammered something, she said something, you said something back, and you left."

"I said... 'I don't,'" he said, making finger quotes on the 'I don't' part, "-and then she said, 'Don't what?' and I replied... promise not to tell anyone?"

"I swear it. Just Masakazu."

"All right. I didn't know it was her, or... anyone. I thought it was... I don't know, a voice in my head or something. I said, 'Have romantic feelings for Anzu. I don't,' and then I turned around and it was her..."

"Okay, I get it. Realize it's obvious you do, though."

"That I do what?"

"Like her."

"What? I don't! She's a friend!"

"Yes, you do. You can't help it, so accept it."

"No!"

"You accept it, or I get Masakazu in here to explain to you scientifically why there's no way around it. Though I trust you already know." He quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't like her that way. It was just a natural noticing of a member of the opposite sex. It happens to everyone."

"Listen, you're lying, and we each know it by now. You two held hands without realizing it, you can put your arm around her waist and she neither notices or cares-"

"We're friends! It's what we do! We trust each other!" His voice, raspy from yelling, choked off, and he coughed dryly.

"Deny it all you want. It's true. We can't talk any longer because a few of them are coming back from sledding."

"Hey Keiji! Hey Atemu... whoa. What _happened_?" It was Masakazu. Keiji beckoned the younger teen over.

"He's in denial of liking a girl. Tell him lying won't work."

"Keiji, did you make him tell you?"

"Yes."

"Keiji..."

"It's for his own good."

"I know that, but you can't just pry into people's feelings like that."

"You sound like a girl."

"So be it. Listen, Fran and the kitchen workers made mass hot chocolate downstairs. It started to snow again, and they all had to come in from sledding. It's really nasty out there. So are you two gonna come down for some?"

"Yup!" said Keijji.

"Atemu?"

"Okay." He got off the bed and stood up. "Do I look like I've been..."

"Yes. Your eyes are red and your face is all..."

"You two go down. I'll catch up to you in a minute."

"Okay. Keiji, let's go," said Masakazu. When Keiji protested, we whispered, "That's a polite way of asking to be alone for a minute. Come _on_." He tugged the older boy out the door.

As they left, Atemu sighed, washing his face with cold water from the bathroom sink. "Ugh." He looked at his reflection in the mirror, suddenly wishing Yuugi was there.

"Why couldn't he have come with us to get the milk?" _Oh, right. He had a cold. A cold I now have. Plus a fever._

He waited for a few minutes until his eyes were no longer red, and headed downstairs to the dining hall, joining the line for hot chocolate.

"Atemu!" a voice called. Keiji waved to him from a few people up in the line, and he joined Keiji, Masakazu, and Kaemon.

"Better?" Masakazu asked quietly as they got their drinks, walking carefully through the swarm of people to the circular table. Atemu nodded, taking a seat. He was next to Anzu, as he realized all too late.

"Hey! How are you doing?"

"Anzu!"

"Who else would I be... whoa. You look tired. Were you..."

"Hmm?"

She motioned for him to lean in closer.

"Were you... _crying_?"

He took a deep breath, feeling his chest tighten as his thoughts rushed. His head felt like it was being unscrewed, and his voice choked off. He bit his lip.

"I'll be right back," he whispered through threatening tears, getting up and running out of the dining hall to the first floor boys' bathroom. He leaned on a sink, sobbing quietly. Suddenly the door opened and a boy of about six years of age entered.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Yes you are. You stopped when you saw me."

Atemu shook his head. "I'm fine." He looked at his reflection in the mirror; his face didn't look any worse than it had. He left for the dining hall, sitting back down between Anzu and Masakazu. Anzu's eyes were huge and worried.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

"No." He took a sip of his hot chocolate, the steam rising from the boiling liquid making his nose run. "Ugh. Not now," he muttered, sniffling.

"What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry I've been in such a bad mood, Anzu."

"That's okay. I know there's a good reason. You look like you feel terrible, too."

"Uck. Is it that obvious?"

"No. I just know you."

"Gomen nasai."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Thank you, Anzu."

"Hey, no problem." Their fingers laced together, the two unaware that they were being watched. Fran sat across the hall, telling stories with a group of five-to-seven-year-olds. They'd just finished a ghost story. A five-year-old girl, honey blond with a cute spattering of freckles, climbed on Fran's lap to look out around the hall over Fran's shoulder with dancing light blue eyes.

"Fran, they're breaking the rules," she said, pointing to Anzu and Atemu, who were deep in conversation.

"Who?"

"The two new ones."

"Anzu and Atemu? What are they doing?"

"Holding hands."

"_Oh, really_?" A sly smile played around the woman's kind lips. A boy whispered to Fran, "I think he likes her."

The girl nodded. "And I think she likes him, too!" The two children giggled.

"Is that what you two think, now? What makes you say that?"

"He's blushing!" the little girl squealed.

"Wait," the boy cut in. He looks like he's gonna cry..."

Fran turned to watch as tears slipped down Atemu's cheeks. Anzu stood up quickly, pulling him up as well, and led him by the hand out of the dining hall.

Fran set the girl down. "I'll be right back," she addressed the table of youngsters. They all nodded, and Fran followed the route Anzu and Atemu had taken, out into the hall. She looked around. No one. Not in the bathrooms, or the dorms.

"Oh, I know where they are." The woman ascended two sets of steps to the third floor and cracked open the door to the teen boys' room, peeking inside through the space.

Atemu and Anzu sat side by side on the edge of his bed, Anzu hugging him tightly as he sobbed into her shoulder. Both their eyes were closed until Atemu turned away quickly and sneezed, rubbing his temples as the pressure gave him a headache. He sniffed.

"Thank you, Anzu. I don't know why, I just... broke down."

"It's okay. Take a deep breath and try to relax." He did so, but it only seemed to weaken him as he couldn't hold back more tears. Anzu wrapped her arms securely around him. "Shh. It's okay."

Suddenly, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" came a chilly voice. Fran turned and gasped. Etsu stood right behind her. Anzu and Atemu each looked up, crimson and indigo darting from Fran to Etsu.

"I thought I made it quite clear that obvious flirting, relationships, and hand-holding are NOT allowed! Perhaps you didn't hear correctly?"

The two teens' cheeks flushed, but instead of letting each other go, they clung tighter together. Atemu rise, his arm around Anzu's waist and both hers still around his neck. His eyes flashed dangerously, a clear sign to watch out to those who knew him.

"We are not violating any of your rules, Etsu. I don't believe that we have been 'obviously flirting' with each other, our relationship is strictly that of best friends, and we are not holding hands." He again felt Anzu's fear, and held one of her arms with the hand that wasn't around her waist.

"You call this strictly friendship? Look at your arms!"

It took all the control Atemu had over himself to not blush, not scream, and not cry, saying what he did next.

I am well aware of the position of my arms. My right one is around Anzu's waist, and my left is slanting upwards to my hand, which is holding one of Anzu's arms, which are holding my shoulders, correct?"

"You call that a 'strictly friendship' pose?"

"I do. As you may know, humans, particularly adolescents, can from time to time experience slight emotional problems, which can be caused by a number of things: responsibility, grief, failure, illness... As you may not know, best friend relationships _can _be cross-gender. As you may or may not know, when humans are feeling great emotion, whether pleasant or unpleasant, it is a natural instinct to make physical contact with another person, and for the other person to make physical contact with you, because humans are sensitive to each other's feelings, particularly the feelings of those we know well. If you piece together the points I just made, you can figure out how Anzu and I can be in this position and not be breaking any rules of this orphanage."

Fran watched his cheeks tinge pink as Etsu glared at him, then left the room in a huff. The two teens relaxed, and Fran walked over to where they stood.

"Are you two all right?"

"We are now," Anzu answered.

"Is she out of earshot?" Atemu asked, voice thick.

"Yes, why?"

"_Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!_"

"Apparently that's why."

"Sorry about that."

"Is that why your eyes were watering?" Anzu asked. He nodded.

"Hey Fran! Hey Anzu! Hey Atemu!" came Masakazu's voice as he, Keiji, and Kaemon entered the room.

"Hello boys!" Fran greeted them cheerfully. "What's up? By the way, did you think we put too much cinnamon in the hot chocolate this time? I couldn't really tell."

"Just a little," answered Kaemon. Keiji and Masakazu nodded their agreement.

"Okay, I'll remember that. See ya! Oh, wait. Atemu, come with me." Atemu followed her out into the hall, bewildered.

"You do know how lucky you are, don't you? If you weren't so smart, you would have gotten in big time trouble with Etsu. I'm amazed that you managed to talk your way out of the obvious just now."

"What? How do you mean?"

"I mean, it's amazing you could keep your head like that. Your feelings for her could have easily overtaken logic, and caused you to act irrationally."

"I don't-"

"Atemu, no. You do. You can't hide it. A few young children whose names I'll not mention have it figured out."

"You're wrong."

"I'm not. I could tell the second you two walked in from the blizzard. You may not have realized it, but your arm was around her waist, your hand was holding her wrist, and concern for her was written all over your face."

"Stop it!"

"No. Don't fight me, Atemu. Accept it."

"Why does everyone keep saying that!"

"Because it's the only thing you can do. You're sick, and you're under a lot of pressure not being allowed to express emotion here, and your mind is probably numb from everything happening so fast. Just accept it."

"No. It's not true. It's not."

"It is."

"It isn't. Stop." His eyes narrowed.

"Fine. I'll stop bothering you, but you know the truth. And by the way, the two of you will be stuck here for nearly a week by the looks of it. You're going to have to figure out a way to hide your feelings from Etsu. She knows, but she couldn't prove you wrong."

"SHUT UP!" he roared. He ran away.

* * *

Y'all are probably gonna kill me for getting into this one and temporarily neglecting my others... -sigh- Oh well. 

Review Replies:

Thanks, **Winter's-angel1739**!

You're right, **Lloyd (Irving) Aurion**. Etsu doesn't deserve to live!

Aw, thanks **CommonKnowledge**.

Yeah, **Ninqe**. Beginning to see a pattern among my works? Atemu gets sick, has an emotional breakdown, Anzu's there to comfort him, they realize their feelings for each other, they make out... something like that. Lol. Yeah, I like the boys too. Masakazu's my favorite, because of his weird name. It means 'first son of Masa.' I'm guessing that's some deity or another... ah well. It's cool, mes thinks. Yup. No flirting, relationships, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, forgetting to put on the mandatory weird cologne, messy hair... and that's only half Etsu's list. I think we'd better run now; they've gotta hate us... We torture them, then hug them... RUN!

He'll feel better, **Black-Caracal**... eventually. This is me writing this fic here; I gotta make it as torturous and sappy as possible!


	3. Rapier and Storage Closet

**Disclaimer**: I. Do. Not. OWN YUGIOH!

* * *

Atemu ran, not caring where he ended up. He ran from emotion. He ran from sickness. He ran from tears. He ran from feelings he couldn't control, power greater than him, and changes out of his hands. He ended up... somewhere. 

"Where am I?"

He had come to a passageway, dark and solemn in its existence. Cobwebs framed dreary, grimy walls, and fear crawled up and down Atemu's back as he inched further into the haunted Hallway of Yami.

"I didn't see this before... I'm pretty sure I'm on the second floor... I think..."

Something scuttled about in back of him, and he startled, grabbing the wall for support.

"Gah!"

"Atemu... Atemu Mutou..."

"Who's there?"

"Your worst nightmare."

Beads of petrified sweat trickled down his face as he squinted, trying to discern a figure that stalked barely inches from himself, though he didn't know it.

"That line's been used before," he croaked out.

"Wise guy, are we? Maybe I's better teach you a little... RESPECT!"

Atemu screamed as spidery hands reached out of the dark and grabbed him around the waist, dragging him forward. His captor's face seemed to produce its own light, and through the looming darkness he saw a face, old and wrinkled in the center of which gleamed eyes of sharpest midnight horror that contrasted horrifyingly with snarls of stark-white hair.

It was Etsu.

"E-Etsu? What do you want with me!"

"I want to teach you a lesson! You wormed your way out of punishment, but you can't get away from me now, no matter how hard you squirm!"

Atemu struggled, but she was right. His strength had been completely stolen by tears and illness, and the woman was a hard, wiry kind of strong that was not to be messed with.

"That's right. Now, would you mind telling me why you're so scared? Have something to hide, do we?"

"I'm scared because we are in the dark, in a place I have never seen, and the way you're holding me is making me extremely uncomfortable."

"Don't play Mister Smart with me! Stuttup!"

He obeyed, choking in fear.

"Now then, how to punish you... this should be fun..." She trailed off as Atemu couldn't help but sneeze from a combination of the freezing temperature and dust in the hall.

"Oh, I know. This should be interesting." She slipped a hand down the back of her dress, bringing it back up. A rapier, silent, deadly silver with a gold hilt rested contentedly in her hand, its terrible blade thirsty for blood and ready to strike.

"How about we play a little game, eh? You are the Game King, after all." She laughed at her own joke, her dry chuckles obnoxiously high pitched and nauseating to Atemu.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Haha! NO! That's the beauty of this game!"

"Release me!" Atemu shouted, wriggling about in the woman's arms.

"Nope. Sorry, but we're in my world now. You play by my rules."

Atemu growled at her words, his head reeling with thought and remaining emotion.

"Here are the rules. You see this sword? I hold it up to your neck like _this, _and you pray to Dear Kami that it doesn't pierce your neck. I try to force you forward into it. Any questions?"

_What? I'll be dead in seconds! There's got to be another way around this... Ah! No! I'm too weak to use shadow magic, and I don't have enough strength to fight her...! I'm trapped!_

"Any last words?"

Atemu was taking a gamble, and he knew it.

"Actually, yes."

"Oh? And what would they be?"

"Go to coughheckcough (A/N: He said a different version.)!" He broke one arm free of her grasp and jammed his elbow into her stomach. Freeing his other arm, he dashed off as fast as he could in the direction he'd come from and reeled around at the end of the hall, hearing her panting come closer... and closer... and closer...

He kept running, throwing himself at a set of steps and cursing the noise they made under his rushing feet.

He listened closely. She was creeping up the stairs, one... by... one. He tried to contain his desperate gasps for air, diving into a nearby linen closet and praying to Ra she hadn't heard him.

She drew closer to his hiding place, not making a sound. He sensed her very aura as she approached him, taking a deep breath in through his nose- a BIG mistake. The inside of his nose burned and he cursed colorfully to himself. He bit his lip and slowly drew a hand up to cover his nose and mouth, holding his nose for all he was worth. Etsu came to stand right outside the linen closet.

_I'm going to sneeze... I can't sneeze! She'll kill me! Literally! No! Gh... No! Gh... gh... gh..._

Etsu listened hard, not knowing she was inches from snapping up her prey. _Oh, I know. He's probably hiding in the boys' dorm bathroom, because I supposedly can't go there. Hah! I control everything here! Does he really think he's able to thwart me this easily?_

_Where did she go? In the dorm? Ack! No! _Atemu held his nose tighter, gulping down rushes of itching air that kept rising despite his pleas to Ra for them to stop. "Gh... gh... ah..."_ Ah! NO!_

"Achoo!"

Etsu came bursting out of the dorm, hurling herself at the linen closet door. Atemu bolted out, ducking between her knees and dashing full-speed down the hall.

"Come back! Oh, I've got you now!"

Atemu's legs disagreed with the speed he was forcing them to operate at and he fell to the ground, gasping as all the air left his system.

"HAHA! Can't run now, can you? You think you can get away with flirting with a girl in THIS orphanage? Think again!"

"I... wasn't... flirting... with... her...!" he gasped out, clutching his side as Etsu raised the long sword over his back, preparing to plunge it between his shoulder blades.

"STOP!" a voice roared from down the hall. Both Atemu and Etsu turned to see the speaker. Fran.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Etsu licked her lips. "I'm killing him!"

"WHAT? WHY? DID HE TRY TO MURDER SOMEONE?"

"Oh no. THAT'S ME! He won't get away with flirting HERE, no sir! Isn't that right, 'King of Games?'"

He coughed, chest throbbing and head floating in an ooze of dizzy clouds.

"ETSU, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS, BUT I WON'T ALLOW IT ANY LONGER! I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO, BUT I'M FED UP WITH IT! HE'S SICK, AND YOU TELL HIM HE CAN'T SNEEZE! THEY'RE TEENAGERS, AND YOU TELL THEM THEY CAN'T FLIRT! IT'S NATURAL! IT'S NOT LIKE THEY CAN HELP SNEEZING OR FLIRTING!"

"They certainly can! Illness, hormones... HAH! You think that's an excuse?"

"It IS an excuse. I'm not taking any of this anymore, Etsu. Get out."

"What? But we had a bargain! You said-"

"Even though you may have more INFLUENCE here, this is MY orphanage, and I can throw you out at any second! I've had it! Go!"

Etsu's face paled horribly. She froze, mouth slightly open and eyes watering, as Fran inched closer and snapped the rapier from her colleague's hands.

"Go."

Etsu screamed and ran. No one ever saw her again.

As Etsu left, Fran dashed forward to Atemu.

"Are you all right?" she asked, turning him over. His face was ghostly and haunted, his eyes red through both irises and whites, chest heaving as he tried unsuccessfully to breathe.

"Oh Kami, no. Atemu! TALK TO ME! WHAT'S WRONG?"

"Ch-Chest... hurts... can't breathe..." He sneezed away the last bits of air left in his lungs and Fran screamed as his form became cold and motionless. She picked him up, thanking every god in the world that he proved to be even lighter than he looked.

"Come on! Hold on!" she near-shouted, rushing him into the teen boys' dorm and laying him down on the nearest bed. The boys looked up, and Masakazu gasped.

"What happened to him?"

Fran shook her head. "Masakazu! Do you know how to help him?"

Masakazu jumped off his bed and walked over, looking the shivering Atemu up and down.

"Holy crap."

"Masakazu..."

"Sorry." Masakazu put his hand to Atemu's forehead and winced, moving his hand down to Atemu's heaving chest.

"That's not good."

"I know that! How can we get him better?"

"I... I don't know... hold on..." He knelt next to the Game King and screamed in the shorter's ear, "ATEMU!"

Atemu stirred and moaned, uttering a few soft coughs. Masakazu bit his lip. "Keiji!"

"Yeah?" the older asked, standing up. His eyes glistened, his brow knitted in worry.

"Remember what we did last night?"

"Yes."

"Do it. Quick."

Keiji dashed off to the bathroom, rushing back with two paper cups of water, the thermometer, and two fever tablets.

"Have him take the tablets now. We can find out his actual temperature after he takes them. We can't waste any time."

Keiji nodded, kneeling next to Masazaku. "Atemu."

Atemu's eyes fluttered open. "W... Where..."

"Don't talk. Sit up and take these."

Atemu tried to follow Keiji's orders, but fell back, coughing. Keiji held his back and Masazazu and Fran each supported one of his flanks, helping him into a relatively comfortable sitting position. The ex-pharaoh moaned.

"Take these." Masakazu stuffed the fever tablets and the water into his hands. Atemu lifted the water and medicine to his lips, but found he was too weak to swallow.

Masakazu swore colorfully under his breath, and Fran overheard.

"Masakazu! I heard that!"

"Sorry, Fran. We need to get him to swallow these, though. This brand doesn't work if you chew them."

"How?"

Masakazu was silent for a minute, then stood over Atemu.

"Hand me one of the pills, and open your mouth." Atemu obeyed, head spinning. Without any notice, Masakazu grabbed the other pill and stuffed both in Atemu's mouth, then forced water down his throat, clamping his hand over the other's mouth until Atemu had managed to swallow the lot.

"There."

Suddenly the door opened and the teenage girls entered.

"Why was there so much yelling just a second ago?" Kaede asked.

"I'll explain later," Fran replied. Hitomi gasped, seeing Atemu.

"What's wrong with him?" Akako asked, eyes horrified.

"He's sick," Masakazu muttered, pacing quickly in a paranoid manner.

Anzu froze upon seeing him. "Oh my gosh..." She ran back into the hall, tears falling freely down her cheeks. Kaede followed her, motioning for the other two girls to stay back.

"Anzu!"

"K-Kaede..."

Kaede wrapped her arms around the crying brunette. "It's okay."

Anzu sobbed into Kaede's shoulder for a minute before finally lifting her head. "He's so sick, and Etsu hurt him..."

"What? Etsu?"

"I... I saw it. Etsu... she tried to kill him!"

"She what?"

"Never mind... Oh my gosh... WHAT IF HE DIES?"

"He won't die," Kaede said firmly. "But... you can help him. But you have to go back in there."

Anzu perked up. "How can I help him?"

"Well... Anzu, don't get mad at me for saying this, but I think he likes you. If he saw you, maybe he'll... you know."

"Atemu? L-Likes me?"

"Look, that's just what it seems like."

Anzu rushed back into the room, pushing roughly past Masakazu to Atemu's bedside.

"ATEMU MUTOU!"

His eyes were a blur. He couldn't see. He was stranded. "W-Who's there?" he asked through the confusion in front of his face.

"It's me! It's Anzu!"

"Anzu?"

"Yes!" Tears fell from her eyes as she took his hand and set his arm around her waist. He blushed, realizing that she was doing it because he knew the feeling so well.

"Anzu..." His vision refocused and he looked up at her.

"Oh my gosh, are you all right?"

He was silent, fighting for breath as a huge bout of coughing took over his lungs, burning them to a crisp.

"Atemu! No!" Anzu hugged him tightly as he hacked, rubbing his back with a shaking hand. _Oh please, please, please be all right..._

The fifteen teens and Fran stayed in the same exact positions for hours, until Atemu finally breathed deeply, and one by one, they fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning Kaede, Anzu, Hitomi, and Akako found themselves in their own beds. Either they had walked up half-asleep, or Fran and the boys had somehow gotten them upstairs. Anzu woke first and, remembering Atemu, began to cry softly. Akako woke a few minutes later. 

"Anzu?"

"Oh... I'm sorry..."

"What's wrong? Worried about Atemu?"

"Who wouldn't be?" asked Hitomi, sitting up in bed.

"W-What do you mean?" Anzu asked, wiping at her eyes.

"I mean, if he died, the world would be down one of the cutest boys of all time."

Anzu blushed furiously, hiding her face.

"You think so?"

The three others answered together, "Oh yeah."

"W-Why do you say that?"

"Because, it's true."

Anzu's blush deepened, and this time she wasn't able to hide it. Kaede smiled slyly.

"I see that you agree with us?"

"W-What?"

"You totally like him. Not that it's a bad thing, but you totally are crushing on him."

"WHAT? NO I'M NOT... WAIT! SO ARE YOU!"

"Whoa. You're right about me, but wrong about you. You definitely like him."

"I don't! He's a friend!"

"That's how all relationships start," Akako said calmly.

"But I don't-"

"Yes, you do. It's written all over your face. And that was no 'calm denial,' either."

"Leave me alone," Anzu mumbled. Hitomi looked taken aback.

"We're not trying to embarrass you, we're just encouraging you to get it together with him. Don't take it so personally."

"But I DON'T like him."

"Girl, you are lying."

"I... maybe I am, but then... What difference would it make?"

"A lot. Just accept it, and you two could really go somewhere," Akako pressed.

"I thought you liked him too... Why are you helping me?"

"Oh, he's top on all our lists. The only problem is, we're stuck here. No chance. So you get him, and we help you."

"Listen... I appreciate your wanting to help, but... If this is going to happen... I need for it to happen at my own pace."

"Would you say 'yes' right now if he asked you out?"

Anzu blushed, but answered truthfully. "Yes."

"Then your pace is pretty fast."

"Guys... could you just let me have space on this?"

"All right. But if you need help, just ask us."

"Thanks, guys."

A knock came at the attic door, and Fran's voice shouted, "Girls! Be at breakfast in fifteen minutes!"

Fran led the teen boys and girls down to breakfast in a large group, and there was an unusual amount of whispering going on within it. Atemu was being helped to walk by Keiji and Masakazu, both of which were smirking.

"Guys... what's funny?"

"Oh, Nothing. Just Keiji's face."

"Then why is Keiji smiling as well?"

"It's a smile of defeat."

Atemu didn't believe a word of what they said, but kept walking, as he wasn't going to get any answers. Then, suddenly, all was black.

"What the-"

"Ack!"

Keiji and Masakazu pushed Atemu into a storage closet as Akako and Kaede did the same with Anzu, and a key turned in the lock. Haru's face appeared in the minute keyhole.

"The key's somewhere in the closet, you two." He left.

"WHAT?" Anzu yelled, pounding on the door. Her hand was stopped by Atemu.

"Th-They locked us in! WHY DID THEY LOCK US IN?"

Atemu shook his head. He had a good idea why, but he wasn't about to tell Anzu. His cheeks burned against his wishes as he turned to Anzu.

"Let's look for the key."

"How? Half of this place is pitch-black, and there's barely room to move. You can only see where the light comes in from the keyhole."

As if on cue, the light in the hall turned off, leaving them in complete blackness. Atemu swore, not bothering to keep it quiet.

"Whoa. I didn't know the almighty King of Games dared utter profanity."

"Oh, you should hear Yuugi and me when we're going on about homework and teachers and school... It isn't exactly easy on the ears. And you knew I cussed."

"I knew you could be quite the potty mouth sometimes, but I didn't know you'd swear so... imaginatively... in front of a girl."

"You're not like most girls." He realized what he'd said a moment too soon, and mentally slapped himself.

"What?"

"I mean... you're more intelligent than most people, and... more strong-willed... You've got a stronger stomach, a stronger mind, and you're just overall more sensible. I know you won't mind. It's girls like... Shizuka... that I tone down the cussing in front of, though I daresay she's used to it, having Jou as an older brother." He bowed down to the darkness that hid his fierce, uncontrollable blush, and tried to calm his racing heart.

"Oh... I didn't know you... thought so... highly of me."

"Anzu, it's hard not to."

Now it was Anzu's turn to bow to the darkness. "Wow... thanks. I think... I think you're a lot like that, too."

Both now feared the possibility that the lights would turn on and their blushes would be revealed, but Atemu pushed the worry out of his mind. "How do we find the key?"

"I have no idea. I can't see a thing."

They sat in silence for a minute, then,

"A-Atemu...?"

"Yes?"

"I'm... I'm a little scared."

"Reach your hand forward."

She did so, and their hands connected in the dark, strengthening them both.

"Is that a little better?"

"Yeah, thanks... I'm sorry, I must sound like a four-year-old, being scared of the dark..."

"No. Everyone had fears, Anzu."

"You don't."

"I most certainly do."

"You do?"

"Oh yes."

"What are YOU afraid of?"

"What am I afraid of? I don't know where to begin, honestly. I'm afraid of failure, death, depression, emotion, changes, the future, opponents... I'm afraid that one day I'll wake up, bound back to Yuugi, I'm afraid that Yuugi... will reject me, though I don't know why, I'm afraid of losing what I love, and yes, I too am afraid of the dark. And that's just half the list, I can assure you."

"Whoa. I had no idea that you..."

"Could feel the same things other human beings could?"

Anzu didn't answer, but Atemu knew what she would have said.

"Anzu, people... people view me as perfection. Yuugi even said that he wished he was more like me, because he thought I was perfect... and I can see how he would think so... I mean, I think I'm everything Yuugi wants to be... has he told you what he thinks of me?"

"Yes. He loves you, but a lot of the time he's really jealous of you. You're the Game King, you get all the fame, all the attention, all the girls, and you're... well... Yuugi's jealous because on top of all that, he... thinks you're more... physically attractive than him... because of his height... and he's jealous of your height, and your... looks... and your voice, and your skill in gaming..."

She heard Atemu sigh, and his hand that was holding hers shook.

"Atemu?"

"I'm sorry, Anzu... I'm going to cry... again... I'm sorry... I-I c-can't help it..."

"Atemu..." she inched closer to him, holding a hand out in front of her until it hit his chest, and pulled him to her as he began to whimper.

"Why have you been so upset?" she asked him.

"Do you really want to know? I can't answer that in one or two words, and... I sound like an idiot."

"No you don't. Just tell me what's wrong."

"It's... for a few weeks, I've just been... depressed. Yuugi and I have had a few fights, Jii-chan hasn't been in the best health, and then Yuugi got sick, and now I'm sick, and lately... I've just been feeling these huge waves of emotion, and I don't know why, and everything's just confusing, and I've just wanted to shout, or run, or punch someone out, crush an opponent in gaming... but I... I never let any of it show, because... I was scared of it, and Yuugi and I just kept fighting, because he was jealous of me, and then after our fights he would run up to our room and cry, and I'd usually end up talking with Jii-chan, and... I would have cried, but I couldn't... and now... I can't keep it inside anymore." He sniffed.

"Oh, Atemu. You should have said something. To me, to your grandfather, to Yuugi even. Yuugi loves you, Atemu. His jealousy could never affect how much he loves you."

"I know... I'm just... I've been an idiot."

"No you haven't. You're just confused, and sad."

"I'm sorry, Anzu."

"For what?"

"For acting like this."

"Don't be."

"But... I just cried all over you."

"Don't worry about it."

"But-"

"It's okay. It's fine with me. If I were you, I'd be crying harder."

He sniffed again. "Thank you so much, Anzu."

Suddenly, the closet became flooded with light.

* * *

Sorry if I lost you with all the crying, **Lloyd (Irving) Aurion**. But... I am a total sap. So gomen nasai. I couldn't resist... again. What? Burn out his cold? ARE YOU NUTS? He couldn't cry in Anzu's arms! Well, he could, but the sneezing and sniffling all make for a nice sappy effect, methinks... I told you, I'm a sap... ah well... life goes on. Sorry I bored you there. 

Yup, **miz greenleaf**, this is the next chapter! Glad you like it!

Are you kidding, **Shining Charizard**? AtemuAnzu is like... practically all I DO! I have ONE AtemuMana, because it's an ancient Egypt one that that one's in, but everything else is AtemuAnzu, the best anime couple EVER! Whoa... I sound like I'm... on crack or something. Ah... heh heh... I'm glad you like Masakazu and Keiji. I was thinking maybe someone would write them off as like, Gary-Stu's or something... -wipes sweat from forehead- Phew.

Thanks, **norestar-angel**!

Ah yes, **Black-Caracal**. Love hath turned our fave bishie soft...

Wow! I'm flattered, **BradyBunch4529**! Thanks... though I don't really think it deserves it. But... don't question logic that works to your advantage, ne? Thanks!

See y'all next update!


	4. Another Dream

**Disclaimer**: -sighs- I don't own Yugioh...

* * *

Atemu instinctively held Anzu protectively as the closet door opened. 

"Atemu? Anzu?"

"Fran!"

"What are you two doing in there?"

"They locked us in!"

Fran moved aside, releasing the two from their dark prison. "Who did?"

"The others..."

Fran looked to Atemu, who nodded curtly.

"Can we go to breakfast?" Anzu asked.

"Sure. Atemu..."

Atemu sighed. "Anzu, I'll meet you inside."

Anzu left for the dining hall as Fran motioned for Atemu to follow her into an empty classroom. She took a seat at one of the desks and Atemu followed suit, sitting down across from her. Fran spoke first.

"How did you take that?"

"Not... Not very well."

"They meant well."

"I know."

"They didn't mean to hurt either of you."

"I _know_."

"They-"

"I KNOW!"

Fran drew back from the seething teen.

"I'm sorry," Atemu apologized, holding his head in his hands, "I didn't mean to yell."

"Does this happen to you often?"

"No, never... This is... This is the first time... that I've cried... ever."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded, Fran biting her lip.

"Go down to breakfast."

"Sorry, Fran," he muttered, leaving.

"Atemu! Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Just tell her."

"What?"

"If she's really such a good friend to you as you say she is, she'll still accept you knowing that your feelings for her are greater than friendship."

He looked stunned, then something about his face broke.

"Thanks, Fran."

He entered the dining hall and joined the line for breakfast, received a plate of pancakes and headed for the circular table, taking the last available seat, which was, of course, the one next to Anzu. The rest of the teens had made sure of that.

"What did she want?" Anzu asked as he sat down.

"Oh, she just... nothing. Anzu, can I talk to you?"

"Sure. Now?"

"Whenever you want to. But there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay... Do you want to use a classroom or something?"

"Let's."

He led her into the same room he and Fran had talked in a few seconds ago, and sat down in the same desk he'd sat in a few seconds ago. Anzu sat where Fran had been.

"So what's up?"

"I... Anzu, please don't be offended by what I'm going to tell you... I can't help it, and I'm sorry if you are offended, but it explains my recent behavior, and... I think you deserve to know."

"What is it?"

He looked into her eyes, willing himself not to get lost in them.

"Anzu, everyone locked us in that closet because, well at least, the ones that pushed me in, the boys... it's because they know that I... I like you, Anzu... in a... more-than-friends way... I'm sorry, Anzu." He turned away, face flaming.

Anzu was silent for a second, then stuttered, "Well, if this is a confession booth... the girls pushed me in for the same reason."

They each blushed silently for a minute, then Atemu smiled softly. "Then would you maybe want to... um..."

"Yes."

* * *

Next Week: 

Atemu blushed deeply as Yuugi stared at him and Anzu in disbelief. Anzu was in a white skirt and a dream-blue sweater, and Atemu black jeans and a red tank top under a jean jacket, the word _Yuugi_ scrawled across the front (A/N: This red tank top exists. He wears it on the cover of a Shonen Jump magazine I have. I don't own Shonen Jump.).

"YOU'RE DATING? SINCE WHEN?"

"Since right after we got trapped in a storage closet when we were stuck at that orphanage."

Sogoroku entered the living room, watering a few plants absentmindedly.

"JII-CHAN! DID YOU KNOW THEY WERE DATING?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

Yuugi just stared from his yami to his yami's date, to his yami, to his yami's date, to his yami...

Atemu laughed. "Is something wrong, Yuugi?"

"No, I just... HOW COME YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU TWO WERE DATING?"

"You didn't ask." He took Anzu by the arm and they left, Yuugi staring dumbfounded after them.

"That was good! Did you see his face?" Anzu asked, giggling uncontrollably.

"Yes. I think we shocked him a bit TOO much, though."

"Yeah. Poor Yuugi."

Atemu smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Forget about Yuugi for now."

"Okay." She rested her head on his shoulder, leaning into the comforting feel of his arm around her waist and his heart devoted to her.

After a few minutes Atemu squeezed Anzu's hand. "We're here, Anzu."

She opened her eyes. They were in Domino's bustling center, flanked on either side by shops and signs, restaurants and hotels. She smiled.

"I love it downtown."

"I know. That's why we're here."

She giggled. "Okay then."

"Where do you want to go first?"

So they started out on their first date. Window shopping, arcade, dinner...

The sun was beginning to set, sending chilly beams of light across Domino. Anzu shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"Just a little. But I like the wind... It makes you feel alive."

"Then I know somewhere you'd like. We've still got half an hour before you have to be home."

"Where's that?"

"Close your eyes."

She did so, and when he told her to open him, she gasped. She was looking out over a brilliant display of wiggling, bobbing, warm color accented by deep green sea waves. A playful sea breeze nipped around her face, chasing its tail in a joyous circle.

"We're... where we went... that day..."

"Yuugi shouldn't have been surprised that we were going out. After all, we never really split up. When he set us up for that date, before the beginning of Battle City... it ended on a bit of a sour note, what with Johnny and Isis and all of that, but we never actually broke up. Whether our relationship was official or not, I'm not sure, but ever since then, I know I've always felt differently around you."

"Atemu..."

"Do you remember this place?"

"Of course... We were talking about dreams..."

"Yes, we were. But I have a confession to make. Ever since then... I've had another dream." Their eyes met, flushed scarlet and chilled cerulean pooling into a deep well of emotion as Atemu leaned closer. Anzu closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as they shared a kiss together, the sun fading away silkily behind them.

**The End**

**

* * *

**  
Y'all know what? I REALLY didn't like this one... It went nowhere... did nothing... so I had to end it. Sorry. It was a right awful piece of crap, I know.

She didn't fall on her head, **Magician/Smokegirl**, but she DID leave!

Thanks, **norestar-angel**.

Anzu is Tea in the American dub, **miz greenleaf**. Your review was chapter two, so... please don't kill me when you read chapter three, the king of all crappy chapters... though if you're reading this, you've already read that one... -sigh-

You're totally right, **Lloyd (Irving) Aurion**. It sucked, I know. But you see, my explanation: Etsu is based off a teacher I once had. I hated her guts. I saw her in the supermarket the other day, and... I had to kill her off. But... they DID 'kiss already,' as you wanted them to. I had to end it. I was like, "WHAT HAVE I DONE? THIS STORY IS A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!" So yeah. But if you're looking for better quality AnzuAtemu and still think my writing is tolerable after this piece of crap, I'm working on a new one where a)Atemu will have that strong reign over his emotions. Angst will definitely be there, but no breaking down crying and all that b)I won't pointlessly kill of characters; it's gonna be a super-serious, straight out romance, c)there will be absolutely, positively NO original characters AT ALL, and if there are, they'll be like, servants or something that have one line and disappear, and d)description will exist. So if you haven't written me off as an idiot... -sigh- and you still like my writing, look for that one some time soon.

I totally agree with you about Etsu, **Black-Caracal**, although I think that that whole murder bit totally ruined the story... in all honesty, I might remove this one...

So there ya go. See ya...


End file.
